Companion
by Garie June
Summary: Prequel to Garie. Hao wants a new companion, but he just might get two out of it. What he doesn't know is what'll happen when he let's these two New Orleans girls into his group, or how they will affect him. Many, many OCs.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Welcome to the new story I've decided to (finally) begin. This is a story about how my OC, Jordin, came to meet Hao. It's set when she's about eight years old, so it's really a blast from the past. I'm not sure if I'll ever actually finish it, but I hope you like it!**

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><p><em><strong>Part one – New Orleans, Louisiana. 1995<strong>_

"Order up!" The cook yelled in his low, gruff voice, hitting the bell with his spatula.

"Coming," The waitress yelled back, running over with her tray. The cook loaded it down with plates of flapjacks and coffee cans. She ran around the restaurant, delivering her burdens to the customers. As she ran by the table in the far corner she caught the eye of an eight-year-old girl.

"Honey, why aren't you in school?" The waitress asked in her New Orleans accent.

"I was just about to leave." The little girl assured her. "When will you be done working?"

"Jordin, you know I gotta keep working till tonight." She said picking up the dirty dishes left on the girl's table. "I'll be at the church to pick you up after rehearsal. Then I have to get back to my night shift."

Jordin sighed. "Why do you always have to work, Leila?" She asked.

"Because," Leila replied. "If I don't work I can't pay for the house and our food, now get going."

"Order up!" The cook yelled again.

"I gotta get back to work, baby." She kissed Jordin on the forehead. "I'll see you later."

Jordin climbed down from her seat slowly, stretching the process out. If she was really slow, maybe getting to school wouldn't be so bad. "Bye Leila! Bye Cook!" She yelled at the door.

"Bye Miss Jordin." The big cook yelled back in his gruff voice.

"Go to school!" Leila replied. "And don't talk to strangers. And look out for cars."

Jordin shook her head and laughed as she ran out of the restaurant and headed down the street. It was a hot day, so she took off her jacket and swung it over her shoulder. She loved walking in these streets on her own. Leila hardly ever let her, but now her older sister was too busy working, so she couldn't argue with Jordin walking to school, since the bus didn't come to their neighborhood. So every morning Leila would wake her up real early and take her to the restaurant where she worked so that she could go to school from there. It wasn't that bad. She loved feeling grown up when she walked alone. It made her feel invincible. Who knew? Maybe she was invincible.

She started out, holding her lunch box full of Leila's pastries. As she looked around, she began to notice something very strange. The people she passed were dressed really weird. First she passed a very big, fat bald guy with a thin mustache. He was wearing round sunglasses and he had some kind of strange tattoo on his stomach, which was bare. He smiled at her as he walked past her, and she turned, wide eyed, to watch him walk away, in the direction of the restaurant. After a few seconds of staring, Jordin turned again and headed away, glancing back every few seconds at the strange man. But it didn't end there.

When she crossed the street, waving at some of the people she knew, she noticed two more men talking to one of the shop owners. The first man was very tall and had black hair and a very pointy mustache. He wore all black. The second guy was wearing some crazy old fashioned clothing, pouffy sleeves, cape, boots, you name it. His hair looked even crazier, put in a way that made him look like some kind of vampire. Jordin was too busy staring at the two new strange people that she didn't see another man walking towards her. She collided with him, and she looked up quickly to see what had just happened.

"Permiso, senorita,*" the man said.

"Excuse me?" Jordin said, staring at the new guy. This one wore a big sombrero, and his face was covered by goggles and some kind of scarf with a skull on it. An acoustic guitar was strapped over his shoulder.

Was there a festival going on that she hadn't heard of? Was it Mardi Gras already?

"Exactly," laughed the new strange man, side stepping her and walking away.

"Well, this is weird." She muttered. She started to walk slower, looking out for more crazy looking people.

"Hey you, short stuff." She heard someone say behind her. Jordin turned to see three girls come out of a shop. The one who had spoken was a tall girl with blue hair. She looked like a high school student. Another girl, who was about the same age as Jordin, was a redhead carrying an old broom, and the last was a blonde with pigtails wearing a black dress that made her look like at doll, also around Jordin's age. She was carrying a very creepy looking doll.

"Hey," The one with the blue hair said. "Do you know where the Sambo Cafe is?"

The Sambo Cafe was where Leila worked. Why would these three girls be looking for it? Leila had told her not to talk to strangers. What was she supposed to do now?

"Well?" said the redhead. "We don't have all day, you know."

"Shut up, Macchi." The blue haired one said. She turned back to Jordin. "Just tell us where it is. We're on a tight schedule."

Jordin decided to risk it. "Go up the street, cross over there, turn left. You can't miss it." She pointed the way she had come.

"Told you we were going the right way," The redhead, Macchi, said.

"I told you to shut up." The bluenette told her, then to Jordin. "Thanks, shorty. Come on, girls." And they were off. Jordin stood there, wondering what had just happened.

"Hey, Miss Jordin," One of the shopkeepers yelled to her. "If you don't hurry up you'll be late for school again."

Jordin started. "I'm on my way." She yelled, starting to run. She couldn't see any more weird people; she was too preoccupied by the time. She couldn't be late, or she'd get in trouble. Jordin hated getting in trouble with her teachers. They already picked on her enough as it was. She didn't need another reason for them to get on her case.

She was one block away from the school, when suddenly she heard:

"...her name is Elliot, right Hao-sama?"

Jordin stopped in her tracks. Elliot? That was her last name. But hardly anyone knew that, except for her teachers of course. She turned back to look who had spoken. Walking in the opposite direction of her, she saw two kids, both with identical long brown hair. One, a boy, it looked like, was wearing what looked to be a white poncho of some sort, while the shorter one, a little girl, was dressed in a well fitted white dress. The one who had spoken was a tall man in what looked to be Middle Eastern clothing. Jordin had seen people dressed like that on the news, when they talked about all those wars that Leila said were ridiculous. She heard the reply from the young boy.

"Ah, Leila Elliot, she works at a cafe around here. The Hanagumi are on their way over there right now."

Jordin heart skipped a beat. What would they want with Leila? Was she in trouble? Who were these people?

"And do you think she'll accept your offer, Hao-sama?" The man continued.

"How could she refuse? She's been working herself to death for years. I don't think she'll find a better alternative." The little boy continued. Jordin couldn't hear the man's reply, she was too far away. She contemplated following them, but that was too risky. She had to get to school. What was she still doing there?

Still, she watched the three strange people walk away. Suddenly, the little boy who had been speaking stopped, and turned back. Jordin was caught by surprise. The boy, who was probably a little older than her, was staring right at her. The little girl next to him, probably his sister, turned to see what he was staring at. When she saw Jordin, she turned to her brother and said something. The boy smiled and said something in return, taking his sister's hand. They turned again and began to walk away.

Jordin stood there. How had the boy known she was looking at him? This was just getting increasingly weird. She turned again, this time running as fast as she could. Not just because she was late for school, but because the people she had seen were freaking her out. She made it to school with barely a minute to spare, and was in her seat when the bell rang. Her teacher looked at her quizzically, obviously wondering about her red face and her hard breathing.

The girl who sat in front of her turned. "What happened?"

Jordin shook her head. "I was late, that's all."

But as the teacher began her daily lectures, Jordin's mind began to drift towards all the people she had seen on the way there. What was going on? Were they all together? And what did Leila have to do with all this? Jordin sank lower and lower into her chair, wondering nervously what was going to happen.

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><p>"Hurry, Leila!" Cook yelled from behind the counter. "I've got a plate of flapjacks for table five!"<p>

"Coming, Cook!" Leila kept running around, trying to satisfy the never ending flow of customers. Her feet were already exhausted, and her hands were getting tired, but she had to do it. The morning shift was the best one to be at, since it was when everyone was looking for some breakfast. She needed the money, so she kept working.

"Hard day, huh?" Nadine, the other waitress, commented drily.

"You would not believe." Leila sighed, heading off again. The door opened, and she looked over to see who it was. Three girls entered the café, all wearing grim expressions. The two younger ones couldn't have been much older than Jordin. She wondered why they weren't all in school. The eldest looked like she was in high school. When she had delivered her flapjacks, she ran over to the newly occupied table with three menus.

"Welcome to the Sambo Cafe." Leila said with a smile. "Can I get any of you girls something to drink?"

The eldest, a girl with bluish hair, opened the menu. "These two will have orange juice, and I'll have black coffee."

"Right away," Leila rushed back to the kitchen and came back a couple of minutes later with their drinks. "Would you like to order?"

"We need some more time," the bluenette decided.

"Take your time, sweetheart."

"What a weird girl." Macchi whispered when Leila walked off. "She seems too happy to be a poor waitress."

"It's part of the job." Kana, the bluenette, whispered back. "She gets paid to act happier than she actually is."

"How boring," Mari, the blonde, said.

Kana looked towards the door, sipping her coffee. "Here comes Hao-sama." Sure enough, the cafe door opened, and two kids entered, followed by an older guy in Middle Eastern clothing. When they saw the three girls, the girl with long brown hair rushed off to their table and took a seat next to Mari, but the blonde ignored her. They were both the same age, but Mari almost never talked to anyone, especially this particular little girl. A few seconds later, the little boy and the older man joined the table. The boy picked up the menu and started to look at it.

"What kind of a restaurant is this, anyway?" he asked, reading each menu option to himself. "What do you think beignets are?"

"They sound tasty." The little brunette looked over her brother's shoulder.

"What do you want, May-chan?" The boy handed the menu over to her.

"Hao-sama, I thought the point of coming here was to get the girl and leave." said Kana. "We shouldn't be eating."

Hao smiled. "But this stuff looks so interesting, I'm curious to see what it all tastes like. Round the world cuisine is a very good thing to experience, right May-chan?"

"What are flapjacks?" May asked, instead of answering.

"They're some kind of flat pastry thing that people eat in stacks." The older man replied.

"How do you know, Turbine?" Macchi asked.

Turbine shrugged. "They're the same thing as pancakes. Everyone should know that."

"Oh," said Macchi.

"So, what will it be, folks?" Leila asked, coming over to refill Kana's coffee cup, trying to ignore the weird clothing.

Hao looked up at the young waitress. "You're Leila Elliot, right?"

Leila blinked, surprised. Did she know this kid? She didn't even wear a name tag. How could he have known her name? "Do I know you, kid?"

Hao smiled at her. "I need you to help me. My name is Hao, I'm a shaman. In four years I'm going to win the Shaman Fight."

Leila looked at the kid. He couldn't be more than ten years old, and yet, he was talking to her like he was older than her. And he had just said he was a shaman… "I don't know what you're talking about, kid."

"I think you do, seeing as you're descended from a whole line of shamans yourself. Or, what is it they call it here, Turbine?"

"Something like voodoo," replied the man.

"Ah, that's it." Hao turned back to Leila. "And unless I'm wrong, which I never am, you can see spirits."

Leila studied the people in front of her. From the moment they came in she knew they were different. "You're right," She said, lowering her voice and casting a look around. "I can see spirits. Now, I don't know how you came to know about my family, but they're all long gone, except for me and my sister. I gave up all that stuff a long time ago, and there's no way I'm bringing my Jordin into any of that stuff."

"Shame," Hao said, resting his head on his hand. "You would've gotten a lot farther with that than you ever will with this waitressing job of yours. You work double shifts and you still don't have enough to pay your rent. Is that really the life you want for your little sister?"

"If you don't mind, little boy, stay outta my business. I don't need some ten-year-old telling me how to raise my sister."

Around the table, everyone stared cautiously at the Hao. They all knew what happened when Hao got mad. Leila's annoyance at him wasn't helping the situation.

To their surprise, Hao nodded. "You're right, it isn't my business. But please, think about my offer. With us, you wouldn't have to worry about work again. You'd be free to practice your shamanic techniques without fear of judgment. I'll come over later to get your decision." With that, everyone around the table got up. Kana left a fifty dollar bill on the table to pay for the drinks, and then they all walked out the door. Leila watched them leave, her eyes wide with awe and terror.

"Leila!" Cook's yell brought her back to Earth. "What are you doing just standing there? We've got people to feed. Come on, girl, hop to it."

Leila worked as hard as she could, even though her mind was on that strange kid. How had he known about her family? No one knew about that. She had made sure to keep her line of descent a secret, especially after her parents died. If people found out that she could see dead people, she'd be in a whole lot of trouble. Not to mention, Jordin would be in trouble, too. Leila didn't even know if Jordin had the sight, and she hoped with all her heart that she didn't.

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><p><strong>Hope you liked this first chapter! :D<strong>

***That's Spanish for "Excuse me, miss." (If you haven't guessed yet, that was Peyote).**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back, those of you still reading this. Hope you like this chapter! Please review!**

When Jordin got out of school, the strange people were gone. Everything was normal, as if nothing at all had happened. Even so, she rushed as fast as she could down to the restaurant to tell Leila. When she got there, Leila was still busy. There weren't that many costumers after the breakfast rush, but Leila still had her hands full. Jordin went to her usual one chair table in the corner and took out her homework. She hated it, but she had to do it.

"Hey baby," said Leila, almost out of breath. "How was school?"

"My teacher says I have attention issues. What does that mean?" Jordin asked.

"Means you don't focus right. Well, not as much as she'd like you to." Leila told her. "But don't worry, honey. It also means that you have a good imagination."

"Oh. On the way to school today, I kept seeing weird people," said Jordin. "One of them said something to me in a weird language."

Leila's eyes narrowed. "What did they look like?"

"Well, one was big and fat and another one looked like a vampire." Jordin started listing the things she saw. "Then there were these three girls who asked me for directions, and they kept calling me short."

"Three girls? Was one of them redheaded?" Leila was getting scared now. Had that boy talked to Jordin too?

Jordin nodded. "Yeah. Then, when I was almost at school, I saw two kids with brown hair, and the boy smiled at me. Is that weird?"

"Did the boy say anything to you? Anything at all?"

Jordin shook her head. "No, but I heard him say your name. Do you know him?"

Leila debated whether to tell her. Would she understand? Would she know what was going on? "No honey. You must've heard wrong. Do your homework, okay?"

Jordin stared at her sister, about to ask what was wrong, but she thought better of it. Leila was too stressed with work to worry about what Jordin had heard someone say on the streets. Leila was probably right; she had most likely heard wrong. It was better to let it go and not worry about it. So, thoughts still swimming in her head, Jordin continued doing her homework. When she was done, she said goodbye to Leila and headed toward church.

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><p>"I told you she'd refuse." Macchi muttered to Mari, picking at her finger nails.<p>

"Why do we need her, anyway?" Kana asked, blowing out a ring of smoke. "We have enough companions already."

"Don't let Hao catch you saying that." The big guy with round sunglasses said. "If he has his eye on something, he's bound to get it."

"Well said, Zang-Ching." Hao said, walking into the room. "And to answer your question, Kana, we need that girl because she is strong. I want her on our side."

"What about that little girl? Who's to say she can even see spirits?" asked Turbine. "I doubt that Leila is going to leave her behind in this town."

"No, the girl comes with us," said Hao. "I guarantee has some form of shamanic power."

"And if not?" Kana asked.

Hao shrugged. "We get rid of her. I could probably make it look like an accident."

"You shouldn't say that, Onii-san," May walked into the room. "Leila-san would be sad if anything happened to her sister."

"Don't argue with him." Turbine said angrily. "You're not even old enough to know what's going on."

May stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't tell me what to do, meanie."

"Please, Turbine," said Hao, smiling at May's outburst. "I think I'm capable of dealing with my own sister." He turned back to May. "And what makes you say that, May-chan?" Hao asked her softly.

"Because they're sisters, that's why."

Hao smiled. "Then, for your own sake, May-chan, I hope Jordin Elliot is like us."

May gulped. She had seen Hao when he was mad. She had seen what he could do to people. She had watched him kill people before. He told her that he had to, that it was the only way they would ever reach his dream. It bothered her though. She tried ignoring it, because she loved her brother, and she wanted him to be happy, but it still hurt her a little. If this girl, Jordin, ended up being a normal human, May would be forced to go through that scene again. Hao would burn her body and take her soul. That's what he did to all his victims. Her soul would be eaten by the Spirit of Fire. May shuddered at the thought of Hao's scary spirit.

"I'm going back there to reason with her." Hao continued.

"Do you want any of us to come with you, Hao-sama?" Kana asked.

Hao shook his head. "I can do it on my own. I'll be back tonight."

May watched her brother leave, silent. She didn't like waiting for him, and she especially didn't like it when he came back empty handed. That meant that the meeting hadn't gone well, and that the person he had been talking to did something to make him mad. This had happened a few times in the past. May knew this might be one of those cases, since he didn't want anyone to go with him.

"Dayamaji-san," May walked into one of the other rooms, where some of the other people in the group were watching TV. A man wearing all black was stretched out on one of the beds. He turned to look at her, his eyes drooping and his mouth open with his tongue almost handing out in a lazy way.

"What is it, May-sama?"

"Can you take me for a walk? I'm bored." She said.

Dayamaji sighed and rubbed his face with his hand. "Can't you get someone else to take you? Like the Boz or Bill or someone? I'm on a hangover."

"No, you're not, you're just lazy." May crossed her arms. "Please? I swear I won't bug you again."

"Just take her, Dayamaji." Turbine said from where he sat in an arm chair. "At least she's asking nicely."

"You're probably lying, you little squirt." Dayamaji huffed, sitting up. "Fine, but if you bug me at all I swear–"

"–You'll do something horrible to me, and I'll regret everything bad I've ever done to you." May repeated Dayamaji's usual quote to perfection. "I know. I've heard all the threats." She smiled. "Now come on!"

"All right, I'm coming." Dayamaji stood up, yawned, and followed the little girl out the door and down the stairs. "You owe me for this, little squirt." He said, taking May's hand.

"I'll tell you what," the eight-year-old said as sweetly as she could. "If you do this for me, I won't tell Onii-san what you've been calling me."

Dayamaji nodded. "Yeah, good call." Then he muttered. "Little devil,"

May smiled triumphantly as they walked out of the house and started heading down the street.

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><p>Jordin headed for the bus stop, her head swimming with impossible math problems. She had just finished her homework, and Leila had sent her on her way. Now, walking in the searing sun, she had almost forgotten about that morning's events, or the conversation she'd had with Leila. She was about to turn the corner, when suddenly someone grabbed her wrist and started pulling her.<p>

Surprised, Jordin saw that the one pulling her was a little girl with long brown hair. She was laughing, looking behind her constantly.

"W-what are you doing!" Jordin yelled, running fast so that she didn't fall,

"Run," laughed the little girl. "Or he'll catch us."

Jordin didn't know what she meant. Then, looking behind her, she saw a tall man in black clothing running towards them with a very dangerous expression on his face. He was the same man she had seen this morning.

"Get back here you little devil!" he yelled, almost out of breath. "Get back here or I'll kill you!"

The girl just laughed. As she ran, she stooped down and grabbed a large pebble. She muttered something that Jordin couldn't make out, and suddenly the pebble began to glow. Jordin watched in amazement as something took shape around the pebble, something that looked like a little creature of some sort, with little arms and legs. The girl said something else, and the pebble hurled itself at the man pursuing them and began to hit him, bouncing back over and over. More pebbles began to rise and hurl themselves against him. The man swatted them away, but they kept coming back.

The little girl used the opportunity to pull Jordin behind a dumpster. They waited there, watching the man as he ran past, screaming and cursing in pain.

"Where are you, you devil?" He yelled as he ran past. Then he disappeared in the distance. The girl stood there, laughing but out of breath. Jordin looked at her, feeling kind of scared, but also curious about whom this strange girl was.

"Who are you?" she asked, leaning against the wall to stable herself. "And why was that man chasing you? And what were those things you threw at him?"

The girl smiled sweetly. "You ask a lot of questions." She spoke in an accent that Jordin didn't recognize. She was obviously not from around here. She looked back to where the man had run. There was no one there. They were alone. The girl bowed at the waist, which was weird to Jordin. "My name is Mayko, but I hate it when people call me that, so call me May. That man who was chasing me is Dayamaji-san. He's supposed to be taking care of me, but I don't really like him much."

"So that creepy guy is your baby-sitter?" Jordin asked, wondering why her parents would want that guy to take care of this little girl.

May shrugged. "He's actually just a follower. Onii-san found him in France, and he liked his strength, so he came with us."

"Onii-who?" Jordin interrupted, wondering what that word meant.

May smiled. "Onii-san. It's a formal name for my brother, because he doesn't like it when I call him by his real name."

"Why wouldn't he let you call him by his name?" Jordin wondered. She had never called her sister anything other than Leila in her life. It seemed a little silly not to.

"I don't know. I never thought of asking him. Anyway, Dayamaji is Onii-san's follower. We have a bunch more, but I like picking on Dayamaji because he gets annoyed easily." May continued. "Of course, Onii-san's going to be upset with me later, but I really wanted to meet you." She smiled brightly at Jordin.

"You know who I am?" This girl seemed smart, but they had never met before.

May nodded. "You're Jordin Elliot. Onii-san pointed you out this morning, while you were staring at us."

Jordin blushed. So she had noticed. "So that boy who smiled at me was your brother?" May nodded. "Who was the other guy?"

"Turbine," May replied. "I don't like him much either. I actually don't like a lot of the people who follow us. They're always nice to Onii-san, because they're scared of him. But they're always mean to me, especially when Onii-san isn't watching. Sometimes I threaten to tell Onii-san, but I never do. I just like scaring them."

Jordin stared at this girl. She was talking about followers, but of what? Why would she, or her brother for that matter, need followers? Then something else came to her mind. "What were those rock things you were throwing at him?"

May stared at her for a second with wide eyes. "You saw my spirits?"

Jordin blinked. "Spirits?"

May nodded. "The little creatures. Those were spirits. Did you see them?"

It was Jordin's turn to nod. "Yeah. They seemed kind of hard to miss."

May looked thoughtful for a second, then she called. "Masha, come out." Out of nowhere, a cat appeared at the little girl's feet. The cat was large and black, with big amber eyes. But what Jordin really noticed was that she could see through the cat. "This is Masha, my guardian spirit. Can you see him?"

Jordin looked at the cat with an unsure expression. "H-How come I can see through him? Is he really a spirit?"

Suddenly a huge smile began to creep up May's lips. Before Jordin knew, the little girl had her arms around her and was jumping up and down with excitement. "I knew it! I knew it! I knew you were a shaman!"

Jordin pulled herself away. "I'm a what?"

May giggled as if what she had said was the most ridiculous question she'd ever heard. "A shaman. You can see spirits, like me. It means you can come with us."

Jordin looked at May with confusion. "What do you mean I can come with you? Why would I want to do that?"

May sighed, as if explaining something like that was a routine. "Here's why. Every five hundred years there's a shaman fight. The winner of the fight becomes the king of all the spirits in the world. This time, Onii-san is going to win the fight." She paused. "Or, well, I think he is. He's the most powerful shaman in the world. There's no way for him to lose."

"What does this have to do with me?" Jordin wanted to know.

"Onii-san needs companions. People to help him get where he wants to go. We have a lot already, I told you about them. Onii-san wants more, though. That's why we're here, because there's a really powerful shaman here."

"Who is that?" Jordin asked.

"Leila, of course." May giggled.

Jordin blinked. "That's not true. Leila's a waitress, not a shaman."

"Yeah she is. If she weren't then Onii-san wouldn't have come here in the first place." May said.

"But she's not a shaman." Jordin was getting frustrated. "If she was she would tell me. We tell each other everything."

May stared at Jordin, and suddenly her eyes got sad. She shook her head. "She is a shaman. Onii-san doesn't make mistakes. She has to be a shaman. Onii-san said she is."

"Well, he's wrong!" Jordin stamped her foot. "Leila is not like you people. So stop saying that!"

May took a step back, looking hurt. "Gomenasai." She turned and began to walk away, and Jordin could hear her begin to cry.

"Wait!" Jordin called. May stopped and looked back, wiping away some tears. "Where are you from?"

May faced her completely, still looking sad. "I was born in Japan."

"Wow." said Jordin in wonder. "So what you just said to me was Japanese?"

May nodded. "I also know Chinese and Spanish, and a little bit of Italian, but not much. I'm learning French right now."

Jordin stared at this little girl. She wasn't more than eight years old. How did she know so many things? May smiled at her.

"I've been traveling around the world since I was three. I've been to a bunch of places. That's why I know so much."

Jordin smiled excitedly. "I've never left Louisiana. Leila went to New York once, but I was too young to go with her."

"I don't like New York. It's very crowded." May said. Then she looked at the sky. "It's getting dark. Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?"

Jordin gasped. "I have to get to church!" She started running towards the bus stop again. She looked behind her to see May following closely behind. "What are you doing?"

"Can I come with you?" May asked.

"Why? It's just chorus practice. What's so great about that?"

"It just sounds interesting. Please?"

Jordin stopped and looked at May. She couldn't help but feel just slightly suspicious. But there was nothing but pure innocence in the girl's eyes. "What about your brother? Shouldn't you tell him where you're going?"

May stared at her blankly. "Why would he care where I'm going?"

Jordin shrugged. "Well, Leila always wants to know where I'm going. I'm not allowed to go anywhere without telling her." They stepped onto the bus which had just stopped in front of them. "And she never lets me go too far. She's always afraid I'll get kidnapped."

"Onii-san says that if anyone tried to kidnap me they wouldn't live to tell the tale." May stuck her head out the window. "Wow! This city is so beautiful." She stuck her head back in. "I would love to live here. It must be amazing."

Jordin shrugged. "It's okay. I wish I could go somewhere else for a change though."

"Maybe you can come back to Japan with me someday." May suggested.

"That would be great!" Jordin said excitedly. "Would you really take me?"

"Sure." May smiled. "Once I return, you'll come with me."

They rode the bus until they got to the front of an old church. It was almost time for the sun to set. Jordin led May off the bus and into the church, where a small group of people had gathered. One sat in front of a piano, his hands getting ready to hit the keys.

May looked around the church. Most of it was made from wood. It looked old and worn, but it had a very nice ambiance. The candles gave off a warm, welcoming glow that made the small place all the more cheerful. True, it wasn't as grand or beautiful as the Notre Dame, or other temples she'd visited, but it wasn't bad either.

"Reverend Jack!" Jordin yelled, getting the attention from everyone. A dark man with a bright smiling face came forth.

"Hello Jordin. Are you ready for rehearsal?" asked the reverend.

"Yes, Reverend Jack. I brought a friend. Her name is May. She's from Japan." She signaled towards May. May smiled up at the man and bowed. "Nice to meet you sir."

"The honor is all mine," said the Reverend. He turned to the rest of the people. "Everyone, this is May. She's going to watch us rehearse." Everyone smiled and waved hello to her. May waved back. "Why don't you go sit over there and you can watch us?" The Reverend pointed to the wooden church benches. She followed his directions and sat down to watch. She noticed that out of all the people, Jordin was by far the youngest. When the music started, May suddenly knew why.

Jordin's voice couldn't be described anything less than amazing. When she began her solo, she sang so loud that May could hear her very clearly. May stared at her wide- eyed. Her own voice was very soft and sweet. It shocked her to see someone her age with that kind of strong voice. It was truly beautiful.

Suddenly her happiness came to an end. She so happened to glance towards the back of the church, and there she saw her brother, standing behind the last bench. She gasped and tried to get lower, but it was probably useless, Hao had most likely seen her already. She looked at him with fearful eyes, knowing very well that she was in very big trouble. He turned his head and looked right at her, and smiled. She sighed, relieved. He wasn't mad. In fact, he looked very pleased. What had happened?

Hao came to sit next to her. He didn't say anything.

"Onii-san," May whispered. "She can see spirits. You don't have to get rid of her anymore."

Hao's smile grew wider. "I know, May-chan. That's why I'm here. Turns out this girl will be of good use to us."

"And Leila?" May asked.

Hao looked straight ahead for a second. "We'll deal with her soon."

The rehearsal ended, and Hao stood up and led May out of the church. A few seconds later, Jordin came out, saying goodbye to everyone. When she saw May, she smiled.

"Jordin, this is my Onii-san. You can call him Hao." May said.

Hao smiled and bowed slightly. "If you don't mind, please call me Hao-sama."

"Why?" Jordin asked.

"I'm older than you, so it's more respectful." Hao said.

Jordin looked at him curiously, squinting her eyes and studying him closely. "Okay."

Hao looked at her with amusement. "You're a very interesting girl, Jordin." He glanced at May. "And you have a nice voice. You and May will be very good friends."

"We already are." May assure him, putting her arm around Jordin. "It's like fate. We were meant to be friends." The girls shared a smile.

Hao laughed. "I suppose it is."

Jordin was about to say something, but suddenly, somebody grabbed her shoulder.

"Jordin," It was Leila, sounding both worried and angry. "What are you doing? I told you never to talk to strangers."

"Leila," Jordin looked at her, scared at the expression on her sister's face. "I–"

"And you," Leila continued, looking at Hao, and pulling Jordin so that she was behind her. "I thought I told you I wanted no part in this."

Hao looked at Leila expressionlessly. "I see that you haven't changed your mind." He glanced at Jordin. "I guess that's understandable, but don't you suppose she has a right to know what's going on?"

Jordin looked at Leila. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, baby, don't worry about it." Leila didn't peel her eyes away from the boy in front of her.

"You lie to your sister." Hao observed. "That's a little unfair."

"It's none of your business." Leila said harshly. "I would never lie to my sister."

"Ah, but you don't seem to want to tell her the truth about herself." Hao said in the same calm tone that he had kept throughout the whole conversation. "If it were only about you, that'd be understandable, but since this concerns her as well, it's only right that she knows."

Leila stared at him defiantly. Jordin looked up at her. Was Hao telling the truth? Was Leila really keeping things from Jordin?

After a few seconds Leila sighed, and her expression softened. She turned to Jordin, leaning down to her eye level. "Jordin, love, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I need you to bear with me." Jordin nodded. Leila took a deep breath. "Do you remember when Mama used to tell us about the gods and spirits of the earth who live around us, and you used to say that wasn't true because you'd never seen one?" Jordin nodded again. "Well, those stories were all true, and the only reason you couldn't see them was because you hadn't grown into your sight yet."

"What does that mean?" Jordin asked, confused. "Mama's stories were true?"

Leila nodded. "Mama and Daddy could see them. They're all around us." Leila sighed again. "Even I can see them."

"Is that why they want you?" Jordin said, glancing at Hao and May, who stood silently together, far enough away that they wouldn't be part of the conversation. "Because the gods and spirits are real?"

Leila laughed nervously. "There's a lot more to it than that. See, there are people, people like Hao, who use spirits. They control them."

"What for?" Jordin asked.

"Fighting." Leila said quickly. "The reason they want me is because I know how to do that. I know how to control spirits. People think that it's a very unholy thing to know, Jordin, which is why I didn't want to tell you. I don't want you mixed up in that type of thing."

"Why not?" Jordin asked in a scared voice. "May does it."

Hao glanced at May with narrowed eyes. May looked back at her brother, smiling nervously. Hao sighed and shook his head, muttering, "I'll deal with you later."

"Baby, that doesn't matter." Leila said. "Being a shaman, that's what they call people who control spirits, usually brings nothing but trouble. Mama and Daddy, they were both shamans, and they wanted us to be the same." There were tears in Leila's eyes. "After they passed – baby, I couldn't put you through that."

Jordin stayed silent for a second, then she leaned forward and hugged her sister, and whispered in her ear. "I don't care what Mama and Daddy were, Leila. Or what you are. If you want to go with them, I won't mind."

"Baby girl," Leila hugged her sister tightly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just don't want you to get hurt." She stood up them, taking Jordin by the hand, and facing Hao. "I want you to promise me something." She said to him.

"What's that?" Hao asked, smiling pleasantly, as if he'd gone through this many times before.

"I want you to promise me that Jordin will be safe, no matter what." Leila said.

May smiled, excited. "Does that mean you're coming with us?" She asked.

Hao nodded. "You don't have to worry, Leila. I promise that she will be completely safe with me."

Leila looked down at Jordin, and Jordin smiled up at her. "Then we'll go." Leila decided.

May gasped with excitement, and ran to Jordin, throwing her arms around the baffled girl. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew she'd say yes!"

In spite of all her confusion, Jordin hugged the little girl back. "So we can be friends?"

May laughed. "Of course, silly. We'll always be friends."

"Well," Hao said, in a somewhat relieved voice. "It's about time we got back to the house. Leila, you and Jordin will come with us. I send someone to get your stuff from your place." He turned to go, and extended his arm. "May-chan, come on."

"Hai, Onii-san." May ran up and grabbed her brother's hand. Leila followed them, her hand still in Jordin's. Jordin watched the brother and sister. From the back, they both looked alike. They walked a little farther away, so she couldn't hear what they were talking about. Jordin looked up at Leila.

"Why does Hao want to win that fight?" She asked quietly.

Leila took a second to answer. "I don't know much about that fight, Jordin. All I know is that the winner gets something very big and valuable."

"May said that the winner becomes the king of all the spirits in the world." Jordin said. "Is that true?"

"I don't know, baby." Leila said, sounding more worried than ever. "I just…don't know."

Jordin looked up at her with sympathy. Leila had been under too much stress since the day their parents had died in a car accident. Jordin had only been six years old at the time. Leila had been sixteen, too young to get a real job, and too young to legally take care of Jordin. In those two years until Leila turned eighteen, Jordin had been forced to go into the foster system, where she was adopted by a terrible couple who were very mean to her. Even after she graduated and had to get Jordin back, Leila hadn't been able to go to college, so instead she got a permanent job as a waitress, working as many shifts as she possibly could. Jordin had always felt terrible, because she was still too young to be of any help.

In those two years of Jordin's young life, neither of them had known any real happiness. Their lives were wrapped completely around stress and hardship.

Leila looked down at Jordin again and smiled. "It's all going to be okay, honey. I promise."

Jordin nodded. "I know." She smiled, trying to be brave, although she felt completely clueless at the moment. "I believe you."

Suddenly, both Hao and May came to a stop. Leila and Jordin stopped behind them. They were standing in a dark, deserted alley. Jordin looked around. There was a door, leading into an abandoned building. Could this be where they lived? It sure didn't seem like much of a house. She watched as Hao walked up to the door, and knocked three times. The door swung open almost immediately, and a pool of warm light spilled out on the dark street. The girl who had opened it was the same girl with blue hair whom Jordin had seen that morning. She bowed as Hao walked it.

"Welcome back, Hao-sama." She said in her low voice. Then she caught sight of Leila and Jordin. "It looks like your meeting went well."

"Ah," Hao replied. "It took a lot longer than I expected, though."

Jordin followed Hao and May inside, and was surprised to see that the place wasn't abandoned at all. The room was filled with plushy couches and chairs, and a fire roared merrily in the fire place. Many of the couches were occupied by the strange people that she had seen that morning. The two young girls who had been accompanying the older bluenette sat cross-legged in front of the fire place.

"Hao-sama." The vampire-looking fellow with the old-fashioned clothing stood in bowed to the young boy.

"Boris," Hao regarded the man. "I want everyone here. Who are we missing?"

"No one. We're all here." The man, Boris, informed him.

"Call them down." Hao instructed. Boris bowed slightly and left the room. Soon, he returned, followed by a group of men. Hao regarded them, as well as the other ones in the room. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Leila Elliot, and her sister, Jordin." There were various nods and regards around the room, but most of them stayed silent. Hao continued. "I expect every single one of you to treat them with respect. I know it's strange for you men to live with an actual woman, but at least try to act appropriate. And I want you to treat Jordin like you would treat May." It was a somewhat funny sight, seeing this ten-year-old boy lecturing all these grown men.

A man dressed in dark clothing, which Jordin recognized as the one who had been chasing May earlier, Dayamaji, looked at May with hatred in his eyes. May smiled sweetly.

"So you decided to keep the girl, huh?" A man in Middle Eastern clothing said.

"That's right, Turbine." Hao glanced at Jordin. "It seems I had no choice."

"What do you intend to do with her?" The guy in a sombrero asked.

Hao regarded the question for a second, and Jordin felt her heart beat quicken, wondering what he would say. His response shocked almost everyone.

"She'll be my new apprentice." Hao decided.

"Are you sure, Hao-sama?" Dayamaji asked, bewildered. "I mean, you don't even know if she has the strength to be use furyoku, let alone the capacity."

Hao held his hand up to shut the man up. "I don't know how strong she is, but I do know that she can be a shaman. I felt her furyoku the moment I saw her." He glanced at Jordin, then looked back at the crowd. "Do you really think I would admit someone who isn't a shaman into our group, Dayamaji?"

"O-of course not, Hao-sama," Dayamaji said, looking nervous.

"Good," Hao turned to the blue haired girl. "Kana, take Leila and Jordin to their room." He turned to Leila. "You can wait there until dinner."

"Thank you," Leila said, and then, after an expectant look from everyone, she said quickly, "Hao-sama."

Hao smiled up at her. "Don't worry; it gets easier after a while."

Leila nodded and took Jordin's hand as she followed Kana out of the sitting room. May was about to follow Jordin, but she was called back by Hao. She sighed and stayed behind. Kana led the two up a set of dark stairs and into a long hall. She pointed to a set of large double doors.

"This is Hao's room." Kana informed them. "He doesn't like to be disturbed, so try to steer clear." She led them to the end of the hall and up another set of stairs. She stopped at another door, and opened it. She flicked on the light, revealing a cozy room with a queen size bed and a large dresser. Another door was visible on the other side of the room. Jordin gasped. This room was a lot bigger than her own room. It may have even been bigger than Leila's apartment.

"This is our room?" Jordin asked. It couldn't be real.

Kana looked at her with an unimpressed expression. "Yeah, so?"

Jordin stayed silent. It looked like all of these people were very used to this type of luxury. To Leila and Jordin, this was a whole other universe.

Kana left them, closing the door behind her. Leila looked down at Jordin, and Jordin looked back up at her. "What do we do now?" Jordin asked.

Leila shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure." She walked to the other end of the room and opened the door that they both had noticed earlier. The door led into a very large bathroom.

"Wow," Jordin marveled at the cleanliness of the room. "Everything is so shiny."

"How do you think they afford it all?" Leila asked, looking around the room again. "I mean, most of those men downstairs didn't look wealthy at all."

"Maybe Hao pays for it all." Jordin suggested.

"Hm," Leila thought for a second. "I'm not sure what to think about Hao. He can't be more than ten years old, but there's all these people following him."

"Maybe he's a prince." Jordin chimed in again.

Leila laughed. "I don't know, honey. I think he's just very scary."

"That's what May said earlier." Jordin recalled. "She said all of them just follow him because they're scared." She looked at Leila for a second. "Are you scared, Leila?"

Leila sat at the edge of the large bed. "I don't know, baby. It's just so weird." She sighed. "I thought I'd given up all this spirit stuff when Mama and Daddy died. Now I'm not sure what's going to happen."

Jordin hopped up and sat next to Leila. "Hao promised to take care of us." She said gently. "Everything will work out."

"You really think so?" Leila said, just as gently.

Jordin gave her an encouraging nod. Leila laughed and hugged her little sister. "I hope you're right, Jordin. I really hope you're right."


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome to my very belated third chapter! Yes, it's the middle of summer and I have nothing to do apart from watching youtube videos and stalking people on facebook, but finding inspiration to write is so hard. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Steam hovered, still visible in the large bathroom as May wrapped herself tightly in a large, fleecy towel and grabbed her comb.<p>

"I'm done, Onii-san." The girl called, stepping into her large bedroom, leaving wet footprints on the carpeted floor. She noticed her brother, sitting quietly on the very large bed, looking smaller than usual in his large cloak. His legs were crossed, and he had a strange smile on his face. May knew this smile. Something was on his mind. "What are you thinking?"

Hao's eyes fell on the girl, and he examined her appearance. Her loose hair hung wet, clinging to her red cheeks. She stared at him with her big violet eyes, hardly blinking.

"Get dressed, May-chan," Hao said, purposely not answering the question. "You wouldn't want to catch a cold."

May's eyes narrowed with frustration. He knew something important, and she wanted to know what it was. "Onii-san," she complained. "What is it?"

"Get dressed, and I'll tell you." Hao said more firmly. "Go on, hurry up."

May hurried to the dresser, drying herself as quickly as she could and throwing on the first nightgown she could find. Hao watched as she did this, an amused glint in his eye. May turned to face him. "Done."

Hao rolled his eyes. "Fine, come here."

May did as instructed and climbed onto the bed, sitting with her back to Hao. He took the comb from her hand and started running it through her waist-long brown hair.

"Tell me." May said, her voice pleading.

Hao laughed with amusement. "I don't think this will interest you much."

"It will," May promised. "Tell me."

Hao kept combing silently for a second before asking. "What are your thoughts on Leila and Jordin?"

May turned her head, but turned back when her hair was pulled. "Ouch, why?" It was barely after dinner. May had, as usual, not noticed the new members of the group. Sure, she and Jordin were friends now, but to May that didn't mean she should have an opinion on her. Why should she care?

"I want to know." Hao paused. "Everyone else seems to be surprised by my decision to accept both of them. So, what do you think of them?"

"They're different from the others." May replied. "Leila gets nervous easily. She's uncomfortable around everyone, from what I saw. I think it's just temporary, though."

"And Jordin?"

May thought for a second, and she smiled as her tone got softer. "She's very different. She tries acting like she's more stable than she really is, but inside," May sighed. "There's something inside of her, but it doesn't look like she's ever going to let it out." She noticed that the comb was now going at a slower pace. She turned to her brother, and saw his face deep in thought. "What were you going to tell me?"

Hao looked at her and smiled. "You're right," He said. "Jordin is very different. Not just on the outside, but on the inside as well."

May raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I can't read her." Hao said calmly.

May's eyes widened in surprise. "What?" She asked, astonished. "That's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible, May-chan." Hao remarked. "Although I'm not entirely sure how it happened, by some turn of events, Jordin's mind has been sealed."

"What will you do?" May asked, still shocked.

"I'm not sure what I'll do," Hao replied. "When I can't read someone's mind, it makes me uncomfortable. I like knowing what people are thinking at all times. There's something with this girl, I'm not sure what it is, but I do want to know. That's why I've made her my apprentice."

"Even so, how is it possible for one's mind to just seal?" May asked.

Hao reached towards the bedside table and picked up a long, blood-red ribbon. He braided May's long hair, tying the ribbon into a bow at the end. "I only know of a few ways for that to be possible. One of them is for the subject to be a mind-reader herself." Hao looked May in the eye. "I highly doubt that possibility, though."

"Why?"

Hao smiled sadly. "When one has this sort of power, May-chan, life becomes very hard," He sighed. "You're different from other people, which makes you a loner. Sometimes, life becomes simply unbearable. If Jordin had that power, it would be too hard for her to even be around other people. She'd be too afraid. Much more than she is now,"

"You're not afraid, Onii-san." May said, her voice becoming a small whisper.

Hao pulled the little girl into his arms. "Not anymore, May-chan, but I used to be. That's why Jordin isn't a mind-reader, my love. There's another reason for why I can't read her mind, but it's not too important. I'll find out what it is."

"What if you don't?" May asked, though she didn't sound very doubtful.

"Hm," Hao smiled with a glint in his eye. "Then I'll just have to figure something else out, wont I?"

* * *

><p>"I have something important to announce." Hao said, sitting down at a very large arm chair close to the fire. A couple of days had passed since Leila and Jordin had joined the group. It was after dinner, and everyone was gathered in the sitting room. Everyone looked up, and all conversations ceased. Hao took the silence as a sign to continue. "It seems like we have a new enemy on our trail."<p>

"Another one?" Boris asked with his deep voice calm and detached.

"Well, I suppose you could say it's all of our old enemies pulled into one group." Hao explained.

"So they've banded together?" Dayamaji asked.

"Ah," Hao confirmed. "They seem to be calling themselves the X-laws. Their leader is a simple girl named Jeanne, right around May's age."

May's head snapped up at this last statement. "Why are they following someone so young?"

Jordin looked at her quizzically. Hao was almost that young, and these people seemed to be following him.

"I don't know." Hao said, surprising everyone. Hao always knew almost everything. "The girl's an orphan, raised by two very religious men named Luchist and Marco. It looks like their goal is to get rid of me."

Zang-Ching laughed. "I'd like to see that happen."

Peyote nodded. "All of your old enemies were never strong to begin with. I don't think they're going to be any stronger now."

"I agree." Hao said. "But it will do you good to keep an eye out for them. I don't want to have to deal with any distractions." With that, he stood up and walked out of the room.

Jordin watched him leave. "Hao has enemies?" She asked May, who sat on the floor next to her.

May nodded, her eyes back on the book she was reading, which was filled with small print and no pictures, nothing like what any other little eight-year-old would read. "They're not very dangerous. Just a bunch of people who got in Onii-san's way in the past. No one very important,"

Jordin glanced back at Leila, who was sitting in an arm chair, staring deeply into the flames. Jordin knew what she was thinking, and she hoped that whatever she was thinking didn't have to do with them leaving. She knew that Leila didn't want to do anything dangerous, but she also knew that Hao wouldn't let either of them get hurt. At least, she hoped so.

"You shouldn't worry." May muttered, her brow furrowed in concentration. "No one ever messes with us. There's no way a little girl will ever be a threat to Onii-san."

"You say that as if you're not a little girl yourself." Jordin commented, looking at her from the corner of her eye.

"That's just the thing," said May, sounding as if it were complete logic. "The way I live my life is a lot different from how any other girl would live her life. I'm more mature than most people my age. Including you,"

"I'm mature!" Jordin insisted.

May looked up at her, and blinked. "Spiritually speaking, you're nothing but a child, although you do act older than your age."

Jordin's hands tightened into fists. "That's not true." She said through clenched teeth.

May shrugged and looked back down at her book. "If you say so," She stayed silent for after that, trying to concentrate on her reading, but there was something stopping her. What Hao had said to her on that first day, about him not being able to read Jordin's mind, stayed fresh in her own. There was nothing very special about Jordin. How had she managed to block her own mind?

"May-sama," said a short man, wearing some type of colorful armor, from where he sat on an armchair. He had a calm, craggily voice, like that of an older man, although he was barely in his thirties.

"What is it, Bloken?" May sat up again, facing the short man.

"It's half past ten. You better get to bed." Bloken said, though he seemed slightly apathetic to the situation.

May sighed, looking longingly at her book. "Fine,"

Jordin smiled smuggly up at May. "Look who's the child now."

May picked her stuff up and stuck her tongue out at Jordin. "There's nothing childish about wanting a healthy lifestyle. Goodnight, Jordin."

"Goodnight." Jordin replied, watching as May stood up and walked away, not bothering to regard the other people in the room.

"I think it's about your bedtime too, honey," Leila picked up Jordin and put her on her feet. Jordin followed her up the stairs and into their bedroom.

"Leila," Jordin began. "Why doesn't May have a mama?"

Leila looked at her little sister. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Jordin replied.

Leila thought for a moment. "Everyone has a mama, sweetheart."

"May doesn't," Jordin insisted. "I've never heard her talk about her mama, or her daddy. She only has Hao-sama."

"Maybe it's the same way you have me," Leila said. "Because her mama and daddy are gone,"

Jordin blinked, feeling tears pinching at her eyes. "Is that why Hao is like this? Because his mama and daddy are gone?"

"I don't know, honey." Leila said, putting Jordin into bed. "Don't think about it. May is really lucky to have a brother like Hao-sama, just like I'm lucky to have a sister like you." She kissed the little girl's forehead. "Sometimes not having a mama is how we pay for our luck."

* * *

><p>"May?" said Jordin one day, as she and the other girls walked along the bayou. Kana, Matti, and Mari had left them a while back, going in a separate direction. Jordin wasn't a big fan of the three witch-like girls, so she decided to stay follow May, who walked a few paces in front of Jordin, picking her way carefully through the overgrown vegetation.<p>

"What?" May asked, looking back at her new friend.

"What happened to your mama?" Jordin let the question out in one breath, feeling nervous and embarrassed when it was out.

May raised her eyebrows, as if the word "mama" were completely foreign to her. Finally, she replied. "I don't have one." She turned back around and kept walking. The abruptness of her reply caught Jordin by surprise.

"But everyone has a mama." Jordin insisted. "Leila told me so."

May stopped once again, turning back towards Jordin. "Do you have a mama?"

"No," Jordin said instinctively. "I mean, not anymore. My mama died when I was six."

"Then you don't have a mama."

"Yes I do!" Jordin exclaimed. "Everyone has a mama."

"Well I don't!" May said.

"Then how are you here?" Jordin asked. "If you didn't have a mama, you wouldn't be here."

May turned at her heel, and Jordin thought she was going to drop the subject, but then her reply came. "I'm sure that somewhere there is a woman who gave birth to me, yes. But I don't know who she is. I don't know her name, or her age, or any other fact about her." She paused. "I don't need a mama. I have Onii-san, and he is all that I need."

"So you never knew her?" Jordin asked, feeling very sorry for her friend. "Your daddy either?"

"Of course not." May said, beginning to walk again.

Jordin followed her quickly, still turning the subject over and over in her head. The little girl in front of her had never known her parents, and she didn't seem to care either. Her mama and daddy could be anywhere, dead or alive, and May would never notice.

Suddenly, May stopped once again. "And you, Jordin," She looked back at her friend. "Did you know your mama?"

Jordin nodded, surprised by the question. "And my daddy, too,"

"What were their names?" May asked, though her tone suddenly quiet, somewhat solemn.

"Mama was Evangeline," Jordin replied. "Leila told me she was French. Daddy was Andrew, and he was American. Leila said his family used to be slaves for white people, but she said that was a really long time ago, and that when I was born, daddy and the white people were all friends."

"Wow," May said, her eyes shining. "Were they shamans?"

Jordin nodded. "Leila said so."

"What happened to them?" May asked.

Jordin was quiet for a second, and her eyes lost their excitement as she recalled. "Mama wanted to go out, so Daddy and her left Leila and me at home. It was raining. A while later a cop came to the house. Leila told me to go to my room, and when I came out again, she was crying. She told me that they got into an accident."

May listened, and she felt the tears behind her eyes as she saw how sad her friend was. She stepped forward and gave Jordin a hug. "I didn't mean to make you sad." She said quietly. "You didn't have to tell me about them."

Jordin shook her head. "It doesn't matter," she said. "Leila says that no matter where I go, they'll be with me." She pulled a wooden rosary and some sort of red voodoo charm from under her shirt. "These belonged to them. Leila says that they will always protect me."

May smiled at her. "You're lucky." She said. "I'm sure that they really love you."

To Jordin, it was weird that May was using present tense, as if her parents really were still there. Jordin knew that they weren't, though. At church she had always been told that good souls go to heaven, and Jordin knew that their souls were good, so she knew that they were up there, somewhere, watching over her.

May started walking again, and Jordin followed her wordlessly. It was still very amazing to her that this little girl was all alone, except for her brother. It didn't occur to her that May was still thinking about what Jordin had said to her. That in her mind she was beginning to wonder, for the first time in her life, if she really did have a mother somewhere.

* * *

><p>Hao walked silently, the setting sun giving everything around him a deep orange tint. He stood still to watch the sun fall behind the water. About a week had passed since Jordin and Leila had entered his group. Leila no longer worked at the restaurant. In fact, she had sent in a letter to tell them that she quit. He had been teaching Jordin some simple spiritual techniques, and he was very pleased by her progress. The fact that he couldn't read her mind still nagged at him. He studied her every day, looking for an explanation to this phenomenon, but he couldn't think of anything.<p>

He heard soft footsteps behind him. He didn't turn around to see who it was. He didn't have to. He wasn't surprised when a small hand slid into his. He smiled lovingly at the young girl who leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Where were you today, May-chan?" He asked softly.

"The other girls and I went to the swamps." May replied casually.

"I see," Hao said. "Tell me what's on your mind."

May hesitated for a second. She loved her brother with all her heart, and knew that no matter what she ever did, he would always love her back. The only thing was that sometimes she didn't know what he would think about the things she said. May wasn't good at hiding things from her brother, though. Even if she didn't speak her thoughts out loud to him, he could always read her mind and find out. Having her thoughts read by him always made her a little uncomfortable.

"Onii-san," May started, though she wasn't entirely sure if she should ask this.

"What is it, May-chan?" Hao persisted.

"D-do I have a mama?" May asked nervously.

Hao blinked, looking down at his sister with curiosity. "What makes you ask such a question?"

May looked down, almost guiltily. "Jordin says that everyone has one. What I want to know is, do I have one?"

Hao smiled with amusement. "Shouldn't that be obvious, May-chan? It's impossible to be born otherwise."

May shook her head. "I know that. I know that that is how everyone comes to this world, but," she paused. "What about my mama? Who is she?"

"Oh, I see," Hao laughed, sitting down on the sidewalk. "Yes, you have a mother."

"What's her name?" May asked.

"Keiko," Hao replied. "Her name is Asakura Keiko. She lives in Japan with her family. Does that answer your questions?"

May sat quietly for a second, contemplating whether or not to ask the next question. In the end, curiosity won her over. "Why isn't she my mama anymore?"

Hao looked at her from the corner of his eye, but he answered the question in a level voice. "I didn't want you growing up with her. I wanted you to come with me. But that doesn't mean that she isn't your mother."

"Why didn't we stay with her?" May asked.

"I had to find followers." Hao replied. "I couldn't hang around."

"Are we going to go back there after we find enough followers?" May suddenly became slightly hopeful, thinking about the mother she had never met.

Hao looked at his sister. Her eyes were excited and full of hope, and she looked back at him with anticipation. "I don't think she would want me there, May-chan."

May's excitement decreased. "What do you mean?"

Hao shook his head. "It's no use talking about it, my love. We have other things to worry about." When he saw May's disappointment, he sighed, looking into her eyes. "May-chan, you know that I love you, and if you want to meet your mother, then I won't stop you."

May perked up immediately. "Onii-san, you would let me?"

"Of course," Hao said, leading May back to their lodgings. "But first I have to become the Shaman King. After that, I'll let you meet your mother, okay?"

"Okay," May said, taking her brother's hand and following him. She smiled, wondering why she had ever thought that he'd get mad at her for wanting something like this.

* * *

><p><strong>Ah, what a cute chapter! So, just to make things clear, Hao kidnapped May when she was less than a year old, so she never knew her parents, and Hao never bothered to tell her until well into the Shaman Fight. Still, I think Hao and May have a cute relationship. <strong>

**Well, thanks for reading!**


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